After the wedding, Caleb approached us.
He hugged David.
Then me.
“Thank you for coming.”
I smiled.
“Wouldn't have missed it.”
He looked toward Ethan's photograph.
“Sometimes I still wish he were here.”
I nodded.
“Every day.”
Caleb swallowed.
“Do you think he'd be proud?”
I looked at the young man standing before me.
A husband.
A social worker.
Someone who'd turned grief into kindness.
And someone who had spent years helping other families survive painful days.
I smiled through tears.
“Caleb, I think Ethan would be laughing so hard he'd barely be able to tell you.”
Caleb laughed.
Then began crying.
I hugged him.
And for a moment, I felt my son's presence in the simplest possible way.
Through the love he'd left behind.
Ten years after Ethan died, The Red Dress Promise helped its hundredth family.
Caleb organized a celebration at a local community hall.
There were photographs of volunteers.
